Mechanical musical instrument.



No. 778.437. PATENTED DEC. 27, 1904.

H. P. BALL.

MECHANICAL MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

APPLIOATION FILED APR.11. 1903.

WITNESSES A TTOHNE r No. 778,437. Patented December 27, 1904.

UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

HENRY PRICE BALL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO SAMUELINSULL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

MECHANICAL MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 778,437, dated D mber27', 1904.

Application filed April 11, 1903. Serial No. 152,280.

T 1071/0771 it y OOYLO'BY'YLY' the perforated music-strip in position.Fig. 5

Be it known that I, HENRY PRICE BALE, a 2 is a verticalsection thereof,taken on the line citizen of the United States, residing at New 8 s ofFig. 1. Fig. 3 is a cross-section show- York city, county and State ofNew York, ing the music-strip wound upon the music- 5 have inventedcertain new and usefulImproveroll and secured by a spring-clip. Fig. 4:is

ments in Mechanical Musical Instruments, of a similar view of thetake-up roll, showing a 55 I which the following is a specification.further use of the clip in connecting the free My invention relatesgenerally to mechanend of the music-strip thereto; and Fig. 5 is icalmusical instruments, and while not limasectional view of the music-roll,taken on the IQ ited in its application it is designed as herein line 8s of Fig. 1.

embodied for use in instruments of the pia- Referring now to thedrawings, 10 indicates 6O nola and angel ustype that is to say, theclass the inclosing case of the instrument, which employing a perforatedmusic-strip in conmaybe given any suitable shape and construcnectionwith a tracker-board. tion.

5 My invention consists in the means em- A tracker-board 11, located inthe usual ployed for automatically varying the effective position in theupper part of the instrument, 5 length of the take-up roll or of thetake-up is provided with one or more rows of trackerroll and thetracker-board in accordance with ducts 12, which cooperate with theperforathe width of the music-strip used upon the tions in themusic-strip 13 and through suitinstrument; further, forautomaticallyvaryableresponsivedevices(not shown) actuate the ing thedistance between the guiding-flanges bell-crank levers let and cause thecushioned 7 of the music-roll and the take-up roll in acends thereof tostrike the keys of the piano cordance with variations in the width ofthe or organ. music-strip due to atmospheric changes, and, As describedin my previous application 2 5 further, to automatically center themusic-roll above referred to, the supporting-body for and take-up rollrelative to the tracker-board the music-strip may be in the form of atube 7 5 and irrespective of the width of the music of paper or othermaterial having substanstrip. tially the same coefficient of expansionand The object of my invention is to permit the contraction underatmospheric conditions as 3 use upon an instrument of music-rolls ofvarythe substance of which the music-strip is ing width and tocompensate for atmospheric made. A portion of such a tube is indicated80 changes in the width of the music-roll used. at 15 in Figs. 3 and 5.

In my previous application, Serial No. Disks 16, carried by and movablelength- 1 I2,507,filedFebruary9,19O3,Ihave described wise on the nipples17, are arranged at each a music-roll automatically adjustable to theend of the supporting-body, the disks servwidth of the music-strip whichis shown in ing as guiding-flanges for the music-strip 8 my presentapplication. I shall therefore deand the nipples as a means fortransmitting scribe this roll only in general terms, refermotion to themusic-roll. The cylindrical ring to such prior application for a fulldeportion of the nipples is secured within the 4 tailed description.Iwish it understood, howsupporting-body, so that these parts rotateever, that I do not limit myself in any wise to together, the oppositelybent extensions 9 the construction shown and described, as other thereofserving to conline the flanges and limit constructions may obviously beemployed. their outward movement.

The accompanying drawings will serve to The music-roll as abovedescribed, to-

illustrate such a device as may be employed gether with the music-stripwound thereon,

} to carry my invention into eflect. form what may be termed acommercial In the drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevamusic-roll, such aswould be sold for use with t1on wlth the case in section, showing apormechanical muslcal Instruments. t1on ot a mechanical musicalinstrument and The guiding-flanges are normally pressed inward by disks18, mounted on and secured to short shafts 19, so that the distanceseparating the flanges always equals the width of the music-strip. Theseshafts, journaled in the frame of the instrument, extend through thedisks and are adapted to be introduced into the cylindrical portions ofthe nipples as supports for the roll. A driving connection is providedbetween the roll and the shafts supporting the same by grooving thedisks across their inner faces, as shown in Fig. 5, to receive theoppositely-bent extensions of the nipples.

Motion is transmitted to the roll by means of the broad-faced gear onshaft 21, in mesh with a narrow-faced gear 22 on shaft 19.

The inward adjustment of the guidingflanges and the centering of theroll relative to the tracker-board are effected by means of groovedcollars 23, mounted fast on the short shafts 19 and having pins of yokedlevers 2a engaging the grooves thereof. At their lower ends these yokedlevers are mounted on rockshafts 25 and through the crank-arms 26 andlinks 27 are connected to a lever 28, pivoted at 29 to the frame of theinstrument. This lever 28 is provided with a handle for convenience inadjusting the disks by hand when, for example, a music-roll is beingplaced in position or removed.

In order to exerta constant elastic tension on the disks, a spring 30 isemployed, which tends to force the guiding-flanges inward in closecontact with the music-strip.

The specific construction of the music-roll and its mounting as abovedescribed forms no part of the present invention, as the same isdescribed and claimed in my prior application above referred to and ishere employed merely for the purpose of completing an operativeillustration. It will therefore be understood that other forms might besubstituted and substantially the same results obtained.

The presentinvention, as heretofore stated, consists, essentially, inthe means employed for automatically varying the effective length of thetake-up roll or the take-up roll and the tracker board in accordancewith the width of the music-strip used for automatically varying thedistance between the guiding-flanges of the music-roll and the take-uproll in accordance with variations in width of the music-strip due toatmospheric changes and for automatically centering the musicroll andtake-up roll relative to the trackerboard and irrespective of the widthof the music strip.

The take-up roll 31 is mounted on a square shaft 32, extending parallelwith the musicroll and journaled in bearings 33 in the frame of theinstrument. It is grooved or cut away centrally in the usual manner andprovided in the groove with a pin or hook 34. The music-strip isconnected with the take-up roll by having an approximately C-shapedspring clip 35 linked to its tapered free end and eyeleted forengagement with the pin or hook of the take-up roll, as shown in Figs..1 and t. By properly proportioning this clip it serves also as a hinderor elastic fastening for the music-strip when wound upon the roll, asshown in Fig. 3. That portion of the takeup roll forming thesupporting-body for the music-strip as it is unwound from the musicrollmay be either tubular or solid and formed of wood, paper, or othersuitable material. It is secured fast upon the shaft 32 and centeredrelatively to the tracker-board and the disks 18 of the music-roll byadjusting the bearings in which the shaft is mounted.

The length of the supporting-body is considerably less than the width ofthe musicstrip to allow for the movement under adjustment of disks 36,arranged at opposite ends thereof. These disks, which serve asguidingfianges for the take-up roll, are secured to or formed in partwith sleeves 37, movable lengthwise of the shaft, and are adjusted tovary the effective length of the roll by means of yoked levers 38,similar to those described in connection with the music-roll, suchlevers being mounted on the rock-shaft 25 and provided with pinsprojecting into grooves 3i, formed in the sleeves.

The inner faces of the disks of the take-up roll are alined with theinner faces of the guiding-flanges of the music-roll, and it follows,therefore, that the effective length of these rolls or the distanceseparating their flanges is the same, also that as the yoked lovers ofboth rolls are mounted on the same rock-shafts any variation in thelength of the music-roll. for example, will be followed by acorresponding variation in the length of the take-up roll, theadjustment being simultaneous.

Motion is transmitted to the take-up roll by means of gearing similar tothat above described in connection with the music-roll, the sameconsisting of a broad-faced gear a0 on a shaft 4C1, in mesh with anarrow-faced gear 42, fast on the take-up-roll shaft 32.

In the use of music-strips of different width it is necessary when, forexample, the length of the tracker-board exceeds the width of themusic-strip to close the exposed tracker-ducts, and for this purpose Iemploy slide-valves 43, operated by crank-arms 4A of the rock-shaft 25and arranged to control a suitable number of the passages leading fromthe tracker-ducts at opposite ends of the tracker-board.

The operation will be readily understood. In placing a music-roll inposition the handlever 28 is first moved toward the left as viewed inFig. 1, and through the connections described the disks of both themusic and take-up rolls are separated and the slide-valves are drawnout, opening the passages which they control leading from thetracker-ducts at opposite ends of the tracker-board. After themusic-roll is. properly centered the lever 28 is released, and under theaction of the spring 30 the projecting ends of the short shafts areforced into the tubular nipples of the roll, and the disks in movinginward in opposite directions adjust the guiding-flanges to the width ofthe music-strip wound upon the roll. Simultaneously with the movement ofthe disks 18 there will be a similar adjustment of the disks or flangesof the take-up roll, the length of which latter is thus regulated toreceive the strip as it is wound thereon.

If the width of the music-strip is less than the length of thetracker-board and one or more of the end tracker-ducts are exposed, thepassages leading therefrom will be closed or cut oil by the inwardmovement of the slide valves as the disks become adjusted to themusic-strip.

Assuming the music-roll to be in position, it only remains to connectthe music-strip with the take-up roll and the instrument will be readyfor operation. This is efl'ected by hooking the end of the clip 35attached to the free end of the strip on the pin 84: in the centralgroove of the take-up roll.

Having thus described my invention, I claim 1. The combination of amusic-roll, variable in length under atmospheric changes, a takeup rolland means for simultaneously increasing or decreasing the effectivelength of the take-up roll in accordance with variations in the lengthof the music-roll.

2. The combination of a music-roll and a take-up roll each provided withguidingflanges and means for simultaneously moving the guiding-flangesof both rolls longitudinally in accordance with variations in width ofthe music-strip.

3. The combination of a music-roll, provided with means for compensatingfor variations in width of the music-strip, a take-up roll, and meansfor maintaininga point on the longitudinal axes of the rolls in thecenter of the tracker-board.

4E. The combination of a music-roll provided with means for compensatingfor variations in width of the music-strip, a take-up roll, mov-- ableguiding-disks thereon, and means for automatically varying the distancebetween said disks in accordance with variations in the width of themusic-strip.

5. The combination of a music-roll, and a take-up roll, each providedwith a supportingbody and guiding-flanges longitudinally movable to varythe etfective length thereof, and means for exerting an equal elasticinward tension upon the flanges of both rolls.

6. The combination with a tracker-board, of a take-up roll comprising inits construction a supporting-body centered relatively to thetracker-board and guiding-flanges longitudinally movable to vary theeffective length of the roll, a carrier common to both thesupporting-body and the flanges and means for imparting rotary motion tothe carrier.

7. The combination with a tracker-board, of a take-up roll, comprisingin its construction a supporting-body centered relatively to thetracker-board and longitudinally-movable guiding flanges, means foradjusting the flanges, said means consisting of a lever pivotedcentrally of the tracker-board upon the musical instrument, an elasticdevice exerting a constant tension on said lever in one direc tion, andmeans interposed between the lever and the flanges, whereby the elastictension exerted upon the lever will be transmitted to and equallyexerted upon the flanges tending to force them inward and reduce theeffective length of the roll.

8. The combination with a music-roll, a takeup roll and a tracker-board,of means for automaticall y varying the effective length of said rollsand tracker-board, without varying the distance between the ducts of thetrackerboard in accordance with the width of the music-sheet.

9. The combination with amusic-roll, a takeup roll and a tracker-board,of means for antomatically varying the effective length of such parts inaccordance with the width of the music-strip.

10. The combination with a music-roll, a take-up roll and atracker-board, of means for automatically and simultaneously varying theeffective length of such parts in accordance with the width of themusic-strip.

11. In combination with a music-roll, a takeup roll and a tracker-board,of means controlled by the changes of length of the musicroll forautomatically varying the effective length of such parts in accordancewith the width of the music-strip.

12. In amechanical musical instrument, the combination with amusicsheet-take-up roller, comprising opposed flanges adjustable towardand away from each other; of a bearing for a music-sheet spool; and,means operatively connecting said bearing with said flanges, arranged toadjust the latter in correspondence with the position of said bearing.

13. In a mechanical musical instrument, the combination with amusic-sheet-take-up roller, comprising opposed relatively adjustableflanges; of a tracker-bar, comprising a series of apertures; means tocontrol the air-ducts leading to the terminal apertures in said series;and, means operatively connecting said rollerflanges with saidduct-controlling means, arranged to efi'ect their operation in definiterelation to each other,

14L. In a mechanical musical instrument, the combination with atracker-bar comprising a series of apertures; of means to control theair-ducts leading to the terminal apertures in said series, comprising aslide-valve; a takeup roller provided with opposed relatively adjustableflanges; and, means operatively connecting said flanges with saidslide-valve, arranged to open or close said air-ducts in accordance withthe position of said flanges.

15. In a mechanical musical instrument, the combination with a take-uproller comprising opposed relatively adjustable flanges; of sleevescarrying said flanges; rock-shafts con nected with the respectivesleeves; and, means operatively connecting said rock-shafts, arranged toeffect the movement of said flanges in definite relation to each other.

16. In amechanical musicalinstrument, the combination with a tracker-barcomprising a series of apertures; of means arranged to control theair-ducts leading to the terminal apertures in said series, comprising aslide-valve; a take-up roller comprising opposed relatively adjustableflanges; rock-shafts engaged with the respective flanges; meansoperatively con- HENRY PRICE BALL.

Vitnesses:

C. H. V011 BAUR, J. H. Rooms.

